Most of the hens lay mid-morning. There are three nesting boxes for six Ladies. Plenty of room for all. Except, for some reason, this morning, the middle box is the place to be. Owly looks in. The spot is taken.

Veronica looks in. Being Veronica, she complains loudly.

Veronica thinks about pushing her way in. But someone has already done that.

It doesn’t look very comfortable, does it? Neither Nancy Drew, nor Beulah are going to give an inch. I leave them be. A half-hour later, the Black Stars are out and about. Veronica is in the nest, and look what’s under her.

It would be comical, except sometimes what with all of the stomping and jostling and squatting, an egg breaks. So far the eggs that the Ladies lay are sturdy enough to withstand the commotion, but that’s not the case with the Gems. A few of those older hens lay thin-shelled eggs, and several times a week I find a broken one. I know the hens that are no longer able to make strong shells – Jasper and Opal – and if I was a real farmer, they’d be gone. But, lucky for them, they get to stay put while I tidy up after them.

This is Scooter.

He’s a little dog with Queen Ann bow legs, an underbite, floppy ears, a tail that curls, or not, a desire to sleep in the sun, and an occasional burst of zoomies and ferocious barking at things undetectable to the rest of us.

This is Scooter when he was only a few weeks old, back in 2007.

This is his mother. She weighed 25 pounds.

I thought that I was getting a terrier, corgi, something mix that would mature to 15 or 20 pounds.

I was mistaken. Scooter weighs not-quite 11 pounds. Was dad a chihuahua? I finally put the question to rest. The

About a third is mixed toy breed, too mixed to determine. But of the other two thirds, more than half is Chihuahua. The other is purebred Shih Tzu.

Google Chihuahua Shih Tzu mix and you will find pages and pages of dogs that look just like Scooter. Who knew? I’m glad that I didn’t. I’ve never considered myself a toy dog person. I’d never have looked for a dog with Scooter’s parentage. Ignorance can lead to bliss!

No one guessed Shih Tzu, but Shannon came closest with her entry of Llasa Apso. Shannon, congratulations! Contact me with your mailing address and I’ll send you the book.

I haven’t yet received the results from Lily’s test. It should be this week. I’ll let you know! By the way, Lily is in total denial that she is supposed to be resting her right leg with the cruciate tendon tear. She gallops in place on the leash, and does play bows to greet me. The veterinarian says there’s no downside to waiting on the surgery, and that the rehab will take months. If we do decide to do it, it will be easier to keep her contained in the winter, so we’ll leave her be until then. Because Lily stays quietly sleeping under my desk as I type, I’m getting a lot of writing done. My working is more calming to her than bones to chew. OTOH, now that Scooter’s playmate is out of action, he’s asking for more playtime with me. That’s my Chi-Tzu!